Kale is so last year: Top 5 Healthy Food Trends

With the health food revolution well and truly underway it’s no wonder that this year there are new foods on the trend radar as well as some already established ones that are set to stay.

Although at Amchara, we believe health isn’t about following new trends for the sake of it, if the food has health benefits then why not look to include it in your diet.

Here is our round up of what to expect to see this year:

Plant-based diets

There has been much in the press recently on the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet;

Even die-hard meat eaters can’t have escaped the news and seen the claims, that are backed up with studies, that state by including a high proportion of plant-based foods in your diet, you can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

It doesn’t mean you have to become a vegan necessarily, just include more vegetables and plant foods.

This has now filtered down into home cooking with the inclusion of spiralized courgette replacing spaghetti, cauliflower replacing traditional rice and mushrooms being using instead of beef in mince dishes.

Get creative and see what traditional dishes you can give a plant-food twist to!

Bitter foods

All around the world, cultures are well versed on the benefits of including bitter foods in their diets but we don’t seem to be so good at it here.

Bitter foods can greatly improve the process of digestion if eaten with, or particularly before a meal as they stimulate the production of gastric juices.

The best bitter foods to go for are rocket, chicory, artichoke, dill, turmeric and sesame seeds.

Try making a small starter before your main meal with a handful of rocket, some artichoke hearts with a dill and apple cider vinegar dressing to get your digestive juices flowing!

Matcha green tea

This antioxidant-rich powdered version of green tea is 10 times more potent than normal green tea and helps to boost metabolism as well as protect your body from many diseases due to the high levels of antioxidants.

Expect to see a lot more of matcha this year in porridge, bread and dips.

It is also brilliant as a replacement for that highly acidic morning coffee, so try swapping that daily cappuccino for a matcha latte instead.

Nut milks

Alternatives to dairy have been around for a while now but it seems food outlets are catching on and many restaurants and cafes now have nut milks on offer for those that are not only lactose intolerant but for people that want to cut out dairy from their diets to reduce inflammation, avoid IBS symptoms and improve skin conditions.

At home you can make your own nut mylk by blending your nut of choice with water and straining through a mylk bag or some muslin cloth.

Ancient Grains

After the explosion of quinoa in the mainstream food market, other grains have followed;

millet, buckwheat and amaranth but there are still more to come this year, look out for farro, kamut and fonio.

These ancient grains haven’t been tampered with and are packed full of fibre and B vitamins.